Jason Ross

As we conclude our look at the top Cubs performers in July, it's not just about the winners of these categories, but about recognizing the players who finished second and third and honorable mention because they deserve it too. One of the really fun things about doing these types of lists for minor leaguers is the variety. There are several names on this that are familiar, the top 20 prospect guys. But maybe there are a few names that you didn't recognize, or didn't know as much about. Hopefully this will help you get to know them a little better too. Also, if you missed the previous minor league awards, be sure to check out the Cubs Minor League Starting Pitcher and Relief Pitcher of the Month of July. You can also read the July Hitter of the Month and Pitcher of the Month articles if you missed those. Let's get to those hitting prospects, starting with a few Honorable Mentions. Honorable Mentions Kevin Alcantara: (South Bend, A, CF) 219 wRC+, 22.9% K%, 12.5% BB%, 2 HR, 5 2B Sadly, Alcantara pulled up with a calf strain on July 19th because had this been his full-month’s line, he just may have been in the argument for the hitter of the month. Alcantara started slow this year, really struggling with over-aggressive swing choices and a bit of a rough plate approach since moving up to High-A, but there seems to be some real movement in that category. He’s reached base at least once every game since June 16th, and I think we’re on the verge of a breakout (hopefully the small injury doesn’t set that breakout back). Matt Mervis (Iowa, AAA, 1b) 134 wRC+, 24.8% K%, 16.8% BB%, 3 HR, 5 2B Mervis had a really nice month in Iowa, but it’s pretty ho-hum, too, for a player who’s probably too good for the level. He’s been said to be working on small mechanical changes, likely to get the ball in the air a bit more than he showed the ability to do in his first run. I still think there’s a starting first baseman here, and I still think he deserves a shot at the MLB. Whether or not that comes in Chicago is questionable, but he’s trying to force the issue and that’s good. Yonathon Perlaza (Iowa, AAA, RF/LF): 148 wRC+, 22.4% K%, 15.3% BB%, 5HR, 2 2Bs Perlaza wins some months, but sadly misses out on the top-5 this one. Pretty unfair, however, nothing anyone else can do can make me not notice what Perlaza is doing. There is considerably more violence in his swing than ever before, and especially when hitting LH, Perlaza is forcing everyone to take notice. If there’s one downside of the Cubs winning, it’s that we may not get a proper look at Perlaza entering 2024, and with needing to add him to the 40-man roster or be exposed in the Rule 5 draft (in which I’d guess it’d be very likely he’ll be picked), this causes some questions for the future. And now let's jump into the Top 5 Cubs Minor League Hitters in July: Number 5 : BJ Murray (Tennessee, AA, 3B) 152 wRC+, 21.4% K%, 16.7% BB%, 5 HR, 2B What a find Murray was for the Cubs on Day 3 of the 2021 draft. Murray rounds out yet another Tennessee hitter here, and has me really reconsidering what I think his upside is down the road. He’s showing a really strong ability to put damage onto the baseball, and we’re seeing more and more home runs out of him (his five this month match his entire total in South Bend, in 224 PA’s). Where he lands defensively is still up in the air, as he’s not considered a particularly strong third baseman, and he’s likely too squatty to play first base, but for now, I’m keen to let BJ keep hitting and forcing the issue. Number 4: Cole Roederer (Tennessee, AA, OF) 206 wRC+, 20.3% K%, 20.3% BB%, 6HR, 3 3 2B Cole Roederer? Cole freaking Roederer? I honestly didn’t think I’d ever get to type his name on a list like this, but what a July! I’m going to give him a little flak for being off the prospect radar for a bit, and it not being his first rodeo in AA, but please don’t let that take away from the monster month the guy has had. He’s had a beautiful swing but had so many darn injuries. I’m so happy to see him succeeding. His path to Wrigley is probably tough, but I think he’ll get a shot somewhere. He’ll be Rule 5 eligible like Perlaza, so we’ll see where that is. I’m rooting for him. He’s really stuck it out. Number 3: Moises Ballesteros (South Bend, A): 171 wRC+, 21% K%, 13.6% BB%, 1HR, 8 BB Is Ballesteros a catcher? Who cares right now when you have a month like this? The wRC+ is mammoth, the K% is wonderful. He’s in third because we just aren’t seeing the home run power yet (though the XBH are plentiful and with age those doubles will become HR’s more frequent). Ballesteros is showing more and more pull-side ability with his swing. I love how good his command of the strike zone has become. We just don’t see kids of his age with this ability to command the zone that often. I am so impressed. Even if Ballesteros has to be a DH down the road, the bat can play. Number 2: Pete Crow-Armstrong (Tennessee, AA, CF): 162 wRC+, 23.5%, 11.5% BB%, 5 HR, 8 2Bs, 1 3B These numbers on the surface are pretty amazing, but they’re not the sole reason I’m picking him as the second-best hitter this month. Digging in deeper, I want to focus on the numbers PCA has posted after July 6th. While July 6th feels like it’s an example of playing with arbitrary endpoints, I’d argue this is a different case. It was after July 6th that the Southern League, Tennessee’s division of minor-league baseball, switched to a normally-tacked baseball. Prior to this change, Tennessee’s baseballs were causing quite the stir; league K% was up over 3% over any other MiLB league and this was largely due to the new pre-tacked ball the MLB was trying out giving pitchers a significant advantage. So why the big deal? From July 14th through the end of the month, PCA posted a whopping 218 wRC+, a K% down to 19.6 %, a walk rate of 14.3% and hit 11 extra base hits (out of his total of 14). Someone earned his promotion. Number 1: Owen Caissie (Tennessee, AA, RF) 187 wRC+, 25.5% K%, 18.4% BB%, 5HR, 8 2B For the month of July, Owen Caissie posted a mammoth 187 wRC and I’d argue that’s not the most impressive thing Caissie accomplished this month. If not the sterling wRC+, why is Caissie winning the award this month? The answer for me is simple… it was watching him drop his K% over the month to 25.5%. The improvement alone feels like a reason to name him the winner as he’s worked incredibly hard on his glaring weakness, and we’re starting to reap the rewards of that hard work. Owen Caissie will always be a higher-strikeout player, but for me, his “goldilocks” zone sits somewhere between 25% and 27% He’s incredibly disciplined as a hitter, and with the power, he’ll outpace that kind of K-rate. If he can keep his strikeouts somewhere around there, I think he’s got true “impact bat” ability and can stray away from being a Joey Gallo-esque power-K machine. His month was also bolstered by a walk rate over 18% and 13 extra base hits. Add in that he just became legally able to buy a drink (and remains one of the youngest AA hitters in all of baseball), and Caissie is absolutely flying right now. What are your thoughts on our choice for Cubs Minor League Hitter of the Month for July? How would you rank them? View full article

3rd best fWAR, top-5 K/9, 5th in xFIP.

Woof. Zone is huge today.

Yeah, I don't think he'll necessarily jump AAA, but I think given that he's left handed, he's really only competing with Bailey Horn. Killian probably is more of a SP and will get a look in a rotation spot if they need it, and Clarke is fine himself, but being RH might change the discussion. The walks are definitely the question, but with RP's there's more of a tendency to allow a speed-run too. You just can't develop 99mph from the left side and could see the Cubs looking at that as a weapon.

That's where I was these last 4 games. I live 90 minutes south of Cincinnati, and no longer pay for cable, so I was stuck on some of online streaming sites....(which....if you'd like...feel free to ask....with a good popup blocker you'll be fine to watch on the computer)

Really impressive that the Cubs have that many guys who could pop up on the top-100. Even more impressive to remember this as well: 1. 6 of those players (Horton, Shaw, Triantos, Ferris, Rojas, Ballesteros) were drafted or signed directly by the Cubs in IFA. Only one of those players (Horton) was a top-10 draft pick, and he was considered by many to be a "reach" and underslotted. 2. PCA and Caissie while drafted by other organizations only played a combined 6 games with other teams (all PCA, Caissie never recorded a single professional PA in SD). Neither were top-10 picks and Caissie wasn't even a 1st round pick. 3. Kevin Alcantara never played above the Complex league with the Yankees 4. Ben Brown was the only player who had logged a single game above A ball, and even he was not considered to be an industry-standard top-pitching prospect with Philadelphia All of this goes to highlight the fantastic job the Cubs have done scouting and developing prospects.

He mowed down the side the other night too. 18 pitches, 12 strikes, 3 K's. I think we'll see him throw innings in Chicago in the next two months.

We continue our series of July Awards today with the Cubs Minor League Relief Pitcher of the Month for June Image courtesy of South Bend Cubs Bullpens are often forgotten, or at least not talked about as much until things go poorly. If a reliever comes in and tosses a 1-2-3 inning, it doesn't get talked about many times. A reliever can have eight straight scoreless outings, but if he gives up five runs in 1/3 of an inning in the ninth game, that's what fans remember. Often, it's a thankless job, so today, we want to honor and recognize eight relievers in the Cubs system who had a really good month. We'll list our Top 5 relievers, but first we will give yo a couple of honorable mentions. Honorable Mentions Brailyn Marquez (Multiple Levels): 8 IP, 6.75 ERA, 6.34 FIP, 10 K This isn’t about the numbers, it’s just good to see Brailyn back on a mound. He’s had a few good outings, a few really rough outings, but he’s having outings. Good to see you back. Scott Kobos (South Bend, A+): 9 IP, 3,00 ERA, 3.57 FIP, 13 K Much better month for Mr. Kobos after getting blasted in AA to start the season. He’s working his way back after arm injuries, and while definitely old for the level, he had such a great start to his career that I’m hoping this is a sign from the future. Max Bain (South Bend, A+): 10.1 IP, 1.74 ERA, 3.77 FIP, 12 K Noticing a theme? Welcome back Max Bain! There’s upside here as a leverage arm if he can figure it out. Good start numbers wide, now let’s see where we go from here. TOP 5 RELIEF PITCHERS IN JULY Now let's jump into the Top 5 relievers in the Cubs minor league system in July. Number 5: Zac Leigh (Tennessee, AA): 9 IP, 2.00 ERA, 3.00 FIP, 13 Ks Zac Leigh is probably a bit too old for AA at age 25, and he’s had some experience here in the past. He’s showing much improved walk numbers from his first short stint and I could really see him moving from AA to AAA quickly. Good to see him catch his footing a bit more in AA over his last nine innings pitches, and maybe we’re seeing him break out a bit in Tennessee. Speaking of Tennessee, get used to seeing them on this list… Number 4: Luke Little (Tennessee, AA): 12.2 IP, 2.84 ERA, 2.65 FIP, 24 Ks 24 strikeouts in 12 2/3 innings will put you on this list most of the time. Luke Little, fresh off a stint on the Development List, really impressed with the strikeouts. There’s still some walks in the game, but lefties who throw in the upper 90’s are very fun relief pitchers. Wouldn’t be shocked to see Little in September if this keeps up. Number 3: Samuel Reyes (Tennessee, AA): 11 IP, 0.82 ERA, 2.60 FIP, 13 Ks Remember how 24 K’s in 12 2/3 innings gets you on this list? Yeah, so does an ERA south of 1.00 while striking out over a guy per inning. Reyes isn’t much of a prospect like the first two, but I think it’s important to highlight guys like Reyes when they have killer months. He might not matter a ton to the future of the big league team, but he does matter to the entire team in Tennessee and pitching like that, he’s earned it. Number 2: Danis Correa (Tennessee, AA and Iowa, AAA): 10IP, 3.48 ERA, 3.89 FIP, 17Ks Yet another Tennessee bullpen arm. They’ve had a really good month. Really good. On the surface it doesn’t feel like Correa deserves to be on this list with those numbers, but I’m giving him a little break; his most recent two outings, his first since being recalled to Iowa, were kind of rough and really threw the numbers askew. But his AA numbers were next to perfect, as he went 7 2/3 IP, striking out 14 and had a sub 2.00 ERA. Correa has a big-league fastball, and if he can settle just a little in AAA, he could be in line for an injury callup. He’s Rule V eligible, as well. I won’t blame a guy for 2 rough outings after pitching so well he earned a promotion. Number 1: Eduarniel Nunez (South Bend A+, and Tennessee, AA): 10.1 IP, 3.48 ERA, 3.78 FIP, 17Ks We finally move away from Tennessee (kind of) and get to Nunez. Nunez is another case of a guy whose final numbers are skewed because he had a rough start at his new level, much like Correa. Nunez, however, was even better before the promotion, as he had a 1.00 ERA in nine innings, striking out a massive 15 hitters while only walking a single batter. Those nine innings are the reason he’s the Cubs MiLB Pitcher of the Month of July for me. I’ll give him a pass on the AA start. What are your thoughts on these pitchers and their performances? How would you rank them? Leave your thoughts in the Comments below. View full article

You know, IDK about ya'll, but I like it when the Cubs score more runs than the other team. I find this to be enjoyable.

Pre-tacked ball in Southern League saw, roughly, a 3% K% increase league wide.

I'll come clean and say no one here is probably a bigger Owen Caissie fan than me. I wanted the Cubs to draft Owen Caissie as an overslot HS prep bat in 2020 (and they didn't) and was elated when they traded for him. With that said, I don't think were there yet with Caissie that he needs to go to AAA. He's had a really good month, but with every adjustment, there's a readjustment the league will make. I'm thrilled with the K% over his last month, and especially since the pre-tacked ball got the boot. A lot of the dip has been over a 28 PA span in which he's K'd only twice. That's awesome...but it's 28 PA's. Let's see what the end of August looks like for Owen. Right now the OF in AAA consists of Canario, PCA and Perlaza and it's kind of full. If Caissie can do another 3 or so week of this 25-27% K% he's going to force the issue that he's probably good enough to finish out a few weeks in AAA, full or not. But even I think he needs a few more weeks of sustained K% drop before I am convinced he's just so good he has to go to AAA.

If there's any good news, it's that TJS usually doesn't occur again until 6+ years (based on recent studies) after the first. Fingers crossed it's a blister type of a deal. MiLB-IL listings can go without updates pretty often, so hopefully we'll get someone with connections to give us an update.

I hate saying this for both Herz and Made who seem like fine dudes, but they ended up in a really horrible organization for their development. There's many out there who highly question how the Nationals work with and develop their young players. I hope for their sakes they succeed, but it'd probably be more likely if they were in a better organization designed to help them out. Between the two, Made is the more likely one to succeed, IMO. Herz doesn't seem to have the upside to start; he's not really added any velocity (a thing the Cubs do well) and he's struggling still on command (a lot of this to do with the funky delivery)...so Herz is probably a BP arm but his fastball/changeup combo isn't really a strong 1-inning combo. Made, at least, has some upside as a starter. He's a bit sketchy to stick at SS, and the bat has stagnated, but he's got some upside he can recover. There was a time and a place I was really high on Made, but he's kind of fallen down a bit. But I'll be rooting for both to do well...just not if they ever play against the Cubs.

Listen, I know I gave Tauchman a lot of horsefeathers, and you can consider me in the camp of "there's probably no way he's going to keep this up". Brock posted the batted ball data, so I don't need to rehash that, but those numbers are concerning. I wouldn't be shocked to see him fall off in 2023, let alone do I have questions about 2024. I don't think he'll continue on a 3.6 fWAR pace over the course of a 162 game span or anything, for example. Maybe there's some upside as like a 4th OF'er, but I don't see a starter as we move forward as a player in the future. That said, he's been a fun story! Being that he grew up a Cubs fan, this is pretty magical for him, I can't imagine. For his sake, and if the Cubs are going to continue to play him, than the Cubs sake, I'm rooting for him. I really do want him to do well. I think there's space where I can root for the guy on a nightly basis, while also accepting that Mike Tauchman will turn back into a pumpkin sometime. Suzuki's in a bit of a rut (I think there's a mechanical fix with his leg kick that needs some tweaking), so you might as well play Mike Tauchman while Suzuki works off to the side a bit to get back into the right space and Tauchman is doing well. So I don't want anyone to think I'm trying to be overly negative on him; just trying to be realistic.

He's got a cannon for arm. He was clocked at over 90mph in HS,. It's not that his arm is the issue, he's short and squatty and his issue at 3b, as well as 2b, is his movement. Not a great profile for the OF.

Kevin Alcantara posted online that he's headed to Mesa. Probably for rehab, should be back shortly if all goes well.

At this rate I kind of expect Ben Lively to retire from the MLB in the middle of the inning.

Feel bad for the guy. This is embarrassing.

Did Ben Lively piss someone off? Why has he not been taken out?

I like it when the Cubs hit the ball over the fence.

Apparently Nationals ate down the entire contract to league minimum.

Luke Little has 24 K's in his last 12 IP (and a stint on the Dev list). If he can fix some control issues, he could speed run his way into a BP spot. Maybe we see Ben Brown get a look in the Cubs BP too.

I wouldn't call it reverse splits on Cuas so much as he's got weird splits. He strikes out more lefties, but walks a ton more lefties. His xFIP against LHH is 4.15 and his xFIP against RHP is 4.30 but his FIP against LHH is way higher than his FIP against RHH. RHH are hitting way better against him than LHH. In theory he should be a RHH killer; side arm, slider/fastball combo is usually just that, but these are all over the place scattershot. The Royals have him all jacked up. I think there's a guy there, though.

I can't tell what they're doing. They added Sewald, then sold Chafin. Maybe there's a player coming back from Milwaukee they like? Maybe they like Huira or Urias more?